Category: Reviews

From the author of the bestselling novel, The Party, comes a chilling new novel of domestic suspense that revolves around two suburban women and the long-buried, dark secrets that they hold.

When Frances Metcalfe met Kate Randolph, she thought she had found a lifelong best friend. Overweight and insecure, Frances prefers to hide in the background instead of standing up for herself. Kate is everything that Frances is not: strong, beautiful, confident. Kate makes Frances want to be a better wife and mother and homemaker. Best of all, Frances’ troubled son finds a friend in Kate’s son, and stops being labeled as the outcast in the elite private school they attend. But one of these women is not who she says she is, and her secret – once out – has the power to destroy everything in its path.

Can people ever really change, or are we all stuck in our past, constantly making the same mistakes and never learning from them? Or, knowing that we’re making these mistakes but not caring enough to change, or worse, not wanting to change. This is just one of many questions brought up in Her Pretty Face. Like most of us, I would like to think that, under the right circumstances, everyone is capable of change. Not just that. That everyone is capable to want to change. In the novel, we are introduced to two women – both running away from their pasts – who form a bond. Neither of them share their secrets with each other, but they don’t need to. They understand each other in ways that no one else could: the friendship they’ve always been looking for. Some things are unforgivable, but are they really? Can their friendship stand the ultimate test?

Told in three narratives, once you pick this book up, it’s difficult to put back down. I carried it around in my purse for about a week, but read it in three days. Out now from Scout Press, I cannot wait to see what Robyn Harding does next.

Emily’s fiancé, Adam is the perfect man. He’s strong, he’s attentive, and he’s good to his mother, Pammie. But Pammie is a different story. Undermining Emily at every turn she is the nightmare mother-in-law we all dread. The only problem is that everyone else thinks that Pammie is the sweetest woman… But if it’s not all in Emily’s head why is she the only person that can see it?

On first glance, Sandie Jones’ debut novel The Other Woman feels a bit like the JLo movie Monster in Law. They both feature future MIL’s who lie and manipulate and genuinely make the woman feel crazy, but that’s where their similarities end. Unlike in the movie – where Michael Vartan’s character is actually perfect – Adam is not the perfect man. In fact, he’s not even likeable. Every time that Emily tries to talk to him about what Pammie is doing he shuts her down, refuses to see the bad and makes Emily (and us) think that maybe it’s all really her. So is it?

I started this book on my plane ride home from vacation and finished it two days later. It was that good. And the shocking end that everyone is talking about? I never saw it coming! It’s out in stores next week so everyone grab this one!

All too often I find an author who writes a few great books and then goes downhill. I’m not sure if it’s because they’re out of good ideas, bored with the genre, or just assume that their readers will continue to follow them no matter what and simply stop trying.

All that being said, I’m always impressed when an author continues to grow, whether they change genres or combine them, because then I feel like I can continue to read and enjoy – and Ruth Ware is one of these. In her fourth novel, The Death of Mrs. Westaway, she continues to stay in the psychological suspense genre, but adds another layer to her writing which makes it all that much better.

After taking over her dead mother’s psychic reading booth and borrowing money from a loan shark, Hal Westaway’s life is anything but stable. Just as she’s about to give up, she receives a letter regarding an inheritance from a family she never knew existed. Despite the fact that she believes it to be some sort of mistake, Hal’s desperation gets the better of her and she sets out to collect. Once in the midst of it, Hal realizes that nothing is what it seems, and this family and inheritance may very well be the death of her.

Filled with her signature twists and turns, you are kept guessing (and changing your opinion!) until the very end. Fans of Ware’s previous works, The Lying Game, The Woman in Cabin 10, and In a Dark, Dark Woods will NOT want to miss this!

I finished this novel on the bus this morning, but there was only one problem: I couldn’t ugly cry.

I was sitting in the aisle seat next to someone because there were no empty rows available, and with only about forty pages left, I hesitated to open it. Knowing that it was an Emily Giffin novel, and that I always end up crying towards the end (and, more importantly, hadn’t cried yet), I knew that it was a gamble, but I also NEEDED to know the ending.

Giffin’s last couple novels departed a bit from her usual storytelling style, but with her powerful new novel, All We Ever Wanted, she brings it back home – and this is truly one of her GREATS (it may even surpass my up-til-now fav, Love the One You’re With). As a fan of her novels for many years (I’ve read ALL 9 books and gone to 3 signings), I’m already waiting in anticipation of two years from now when her next novel will (fingers crossed) be out.

In All We Ever Wanted, Giffin deals with complex issues of truth, values and family – the lengths that you would go to protect someone you love while also staying true to yourself, the truth, and your values. Told in three different voices, the novel follows: Nina Browning, a woman who grew up in a middle-class family, married into Nashville’s elite, and whose son may be behind a scandal; Tom Volpe, a single and overprotective dad trying to do the best by his daughter (also Giffin’s first ever male narrator); and Lyla Volpe, Tom’s teenage daughter who, after one drunken night at a party, finds herself the subject of a social media scandal. Who’s telling the truth? Who’s lying? Questioning themselves and their relationships with those closest to them, Nina, Tom and Lyla are thrown together as they search for a way to live truly meaningful lives.

Just published this week by Ballantine, this is a novel that you DO NOT want to miss. And, as I warned my boyfriend this morning, I will be rereading the ending over the weekend so that I can properly cry.

“Maybe he’s thinking about his younger self—and what Nina saved me from all of those years ago. But maybe, I hope, he’s simply thinking about his mother—and how she somehow managed to save him too.”

When Carrie Bradshaw started reading Love Letters of Great Men in the first Sex and the City movie, everyone (including me) wanted a copy. Originally created as a prop, disappointed fans did not have to wait long for the anthology to (magically) line booksellers’ shelves. I have a copy and have probably opened it a half dozen times. If a movie would do that, it’s no wonder than that a TV show would eventually follow suit.

In the fourth season of Younger, the publisher’s ex-wife comes to Empirical Press with an autobiographical novel about a woman who runs away from her husband and children to find herself. Knowing that the book would cause a scandal if published anywhere else, they decide to publish it and the love triangle between Liza, Charles and Pauline (Charles’ ex) emerges. Both the upcoming book AND the love triangle become the prominent storyline for the remainder of season 4/spilling into season 5.

Exactly two weeks ago Season 5 of Younger premiered. And to coincide with the new season, Simon & Schuster published a real-life version of Marriage Vacation on the very same day. (Side note: Younger is actually based on a 2005 book of the same name by Pamela Redmond Satran that S&S also published.) And if you were wondering what all the hype was about with page 58, now it your chance to read it!

Set as a standalone novel, Marriage Vacation follows Kate Carmichael as she flies halfway across the world, leaving her family behind to clear her head and reconnect with the person she used to be. At times both humorous and thought provoking, this is the perfect novel for the summer (even if you’ve never watched the show)!

Trust is one of the most important things in life, without it, your world can be turned upside-down. But what happens when you don’t know who to trust? With her sophomore novel (and next one, Bring Me Back out this month!), B.A. Paris joins the ranks of S.J. Watson and A.S.A. Harrison in her story-telling abilities, begging the question: can you even trust yourself?

The Breakdown opens with a torrential storm. Cass is taking a shortcut home through the woods, the same shortcut that her husband, Matthew, has warned her against taking. She notices a car pulled over on the side of the road and tries to see if the driver needs help. She comes close to getting out of her car, but thinks better of it and continues on her way home. The next morning, Cass wakes to find that the woman in the car was murdered. She may be the only witness, except no one knows that she was there.

And with that, B.A. Paris’ masterpiece begins. At first we believe Cass – her recollection of the events that she keeps replaying in her head seems plausible – but soon those thoughts start to take over her life. She becomes increasingly forgetful and paranoid that you start to question the validity of her story. Was she even there? Did she murder the woman? Is she sane? Paris weaves the threads so tightly at times that you can’t tell fact from fiction.

What I love most about this story is that moment when the pieces start to fall together – it’s then that you realize just how deep it really goes. And that sometimes, the truth is not what you think it to be.

A cat-and-mouse suspense novel following a young woman as she sifts through the chaos left by her twin sister – whose death is cloaked in mystery.

Nearly two years ago, Ava Antipova left her family’s failing vineyard in the Finger Lakes to learn about literature in Paris, but she was really just running away – from an absentee father who left when she was young, from a critical mother who was losing her mind to dementia, from her twin, Zelda, and the man who broke her heart. After receiving an email from her mother about Zelda’s untimely death – she was burned alive in their barn – Ava leaves her life in Paris behind, returning to her family home to once again clean up Zelda’s mess. Soon after she’s back, Ava starts receiving messages from Zelda, clues as to what really happened. Convinced that her sister is still alive, Ava races against time to put all of the pieces together and in the process, rediscovers part of herself she thought had been lost forever.

When I first started reading Dead Letters, I had trouble getting into it and almost immediately put it down, but I’d been surprised by books recently, so I decided to give it a few more pages, and I’m so glad that I did. Dead Letters isn’t just another suspense novel, and it isn’t at all paranormal either (I dislike anything paranormal). The story isn’t about the ending, whether Zelda is in fact alive or dead, rather, it’s about the journey. Ava was always running away from her problems, whether physically or mentally through alcohol – and what Zelda has done really forces Ava to reevaluate her life and discover her identity. Despite the fact that she hadn’t spoken to Zelda in the two years she’d been living in Paris, Ava could never really see herself as anything other than one half of a whole. Ava was the smart one, the reserved one, the one who cared too much about what others thought. Whereas Zelda was the rebel, she was the drama queen, she never censored herself or her needs.

Dead Letters makes you think about yourself – the labels that you have kept, and the ones you have thrown away. When we’re younger, we’re so much less afraid and more willing to take risks and try new things. But, as we age, we pair down our personalities and interests, and focus on specializing a few traits rather than a ton. Here, Dolan-Leach unlocks the door to our childhood so that we can, once again, rediscover our true selves.

For all you Bachelor/Bachelorette fans out there, or single girls who are tired of the dating scene and feel like you’re all alone, this new memoir out by The Bachelorette alum Andi Dorfman is THE book for you.

In Single State of Mind, Andi continues to share her journey of life after The Bachelorette, after her broken engagement, AND after she packed her belongings and moved to NYC for a fresh start. From searching for an apartment/apartment woes (seriously, who doesn’t have a crappy apartment or bad landlord story) to her sometimes hilarious dating stories (me, ALL the time) to her obsession with wine (ummm, do you need to ask? #winesnob), Andi really is just like you and me – mostly. With a little fame wrapped in.

I had the pleasure of meeting Andi last week when she popped into my office to see her editor – we talked, she signed a book and took a photo with me. I’ve met a few celebrities in my 3+ years in book publishing, but none were as down-to-earth and real as Andi was. Love you Andi!

I don’t want to give anything away (because I WANT you to read it), but don’t worry, there’s a little Bachelor gossip in there as well. 😉 AND, since the new season of The Bachelor has just started, all the more reason to read!

Single State of Mind is out today. Pick up a copy. NOW! You know you want to!

A twisty suspense novel that explores the dark side of love and obsession.

Chevy Stevens’ Never Let You Go follows Lindsey Nash who, eleven years ago took her young daughter and escaped from her abusive husband Andrew’s grasp. That same night, Andrew is arrested on unrelated charges and sentenced to ten years in prison. Now, Lindsey has made a new life for herself; she owns her own business and takes care of her teenage daughter, Sophie. When Andrew is released from prison, odd things start to happen and, despite Andrew’s claim that he’s reformed, Lindsey is convinced that he is behind everything, slowly plotting his revenge. But, is Andrew the one behind the threats, or has someone else been waiting in the wings to make their move? Told through Lindsey and Sophie’s perspectives in the present and past, Stevens weaves a chilling tale that makes you question every relationship you have and have ever had.

As someone who is an avid reader – and particularly of this genre – I’ve read a lot of stories that revolve around the main character running away to protect herself, or falling for the wrong person, or befriending the wrong person. This one has it all, but somehow Stevens has a way of making it seem fresh and new. Every character is flawed which makes all of them relatable – the mother who would do anything to protect her child; the husband with abandonment issues who became violent; the teenager who overshares and under-shares, desperate to hold on to relationships with both parents.

For someone who was in an abusive relationship and claims to have a hard time trusting anyone, Lindsey naïvely lets her guard down more often than not. In the span of the novel, not only does she date two different men (Greg and Marcus), but she also talks freely about her past, sometimes divulging more details than she should. She’s in constant contradiction to herself, one minute in a state of fight-or-flight and the other completely content.

We don’t know a lot about Andrew or what he went through in the past that causes him to act abusively, though he does admit to Sophie that his violence stemmed from severe abandonment issues. I went back and forth on my feelings about Andrew, sometimes I believed that he really had changed and felt sorry for him, and other times I was convinced that he hadn’t.

And Sophie just seems like the typical teenager that you love to hate. The one who is trying to become her own person and learning how to trust her gut, even if that means not always listening to the authority figure in her life.

At times dark and moody, Never Let You Go is a MUST read for suspense novel lovers.

“We believe what we want to believe. We believe what we need to believe. Maybe there’s no difference between wanting and needing. I don’t know. What I do know is that the truth can evade us, hiding behind our blind spots, our preconceptions, our hungry hearts that long for quiet. Still, it is always there if we open our eyes and try to see it. If we really try to see.”

A gripping new psychological thriller from the bestselling author of All Is Not Forgotten – in the vein of S.J. Watson and Tana French – following a psychologist’s desperate search to find a missing woman three years after her disappearance.

When Emma and Cass Tanner disappeared three years ago, the only clues they left behind were Emma’s car parked in the beach parking lot, and her shoes discarded in the sand. After a thorough investigation by the FBI and local law enforcement, no new information was discovered and the case remained unsolved – until three years later when Cass surfaces at her mother’s door in the early morning hours. Alternately narrated by Cass and Dr. Abby Winter – the FBI forensic psychologist who worked the original case – we are given the details of what happened to the girls on the night of their disappearance, and where they’ve been all this time. But something isn’t right: the facts don’t add up. How much of what Cass is saying is actually true? As Abby sifts through the truths and the lies, she uncovers something far darker than anyone could have imagined…but is she too late to save Emma?

Abby is one of those characters that, when a job hits too close to home, either falls completely apart or stands on the brink of falling apart. It’s why I loved Rob Ryan from In the Woods and Elliot Stabler from Law & Order SVU. She has become an insomniac who never sleeps, and an alcoholic. She doesn’t remember what happened in cases six months ago, but she still remembers every last detail of Emma and Cass’s disappearance. Characters like Abby, characters that become so emotionally invested in a case that they eat, breathe, and sleep the facts, they are the ones that seem the most real.

While Cass can be looked at with a skeptic lens, she is also the victim. She had to grow up way too soon. She had to learn how to lie and manipulate and play games to get things that we take for granted, without anyone to completely confide in. Cass is cold and calculating, but she acts that way because she has lost her ability to trust. At times she’s a bit unlikeable, but that gets overshadowed again and again by your ability to empathize with her.

What I love most about this novel is the same thing that I loved from her previous one: the psychology. Though psychological thrillers have become hugely popular in recent years, few people know how to do it right. A good thriller catches your attention, a great thriller grips you and doesn’t let go, but an exceptional thriller – though rare – forces you to slow down and absorb every last word, taking you to places far greater than you could ever expect. From the very first paragraph I could tell that Emma in the Night was one of those rare exceptionals. Walker’s descriptive prose is carefully crafted, and she keeps her cards close, not showing anything in her hand before you need it to be revealed.